Stone fence in RCF: It’s common to see stone or stump fences lining the areas now covered in mature red pine trees. Homesteaders built these while clearing the land for farming in the early 1900s.
There is a lot of history to celebrate in the many red pine plantations you’ll see while passing through Renfrew County.
Renfrew County Forest is looking back on 75 years of being a steward for the now 53 tracts of community forest they care for, land that was used to build homesteads during colonization, according to county forester Lacey Rose.
The soil problem spread across southern Ontario to the point that the province began assisting counties in buying land for reforestation, which would lead to the Renfrew County Forest being established in 1951.
Rose says the county uses red pine because it grows quickly on bad soil, making it an ideal transition crop that the county could regularly thin out to become valuable wood products like hydro poles while more local tree species take root and flourish in their place.
Renfrew County Forest wants to share their 75th anniversary with the community as they highlight the history behind each tract of forest and the homesteads that used to stand in their place, something Rose says has come naturally to people she meets while walking the grounds.
Anyone with a story about the various Renfrew County Forest tracts is encouraged to reach out to the organization, who will be sharing them throughout the year on their social media pages.
(written by Kasey Egan)
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- Beachburg 4th thinning 2025: The overstory red pine in this picture was planted in 1953 and was thinned for the 4th time in 2025. Natural white pine has seeded in as the next generation of this forest and was well-protected during harvesting.
